18 weeks pregnant - HUNGRY and SLEEPY

First pregnancy, I am 28, full time college student, part time worker, and a belly full of baby.  I have always been a gym rat and a health nut, stayed around 145 at 5'6 which is great for me and I am already 156 and even thought I still work out all the time it is just so hard to stop eating.  I overeat on fruit and healthy stuff but I still overeat, and then I want to nap!! 

I am just starting to pop which means nothing fits around my belly and seriously I am scared of gaining loads of weight. I am with my boyfriend here in an Army community and know no other women and just want to know I am not alone.  Please say hello if you are in the same boat and let me know what is going on with you so I hope I am normal. 

I'm not in the same boat right now....but still remember well.  First of all, you're just starting to "pop," so that makes you, what, 3, 4 or 5 months pregnant?  Feed that baby!!  Don't worry about weight gain so much--especially if you're eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.  You'll be surprised how quickly you'll lose weight when your baby is born--especially if you breast feed the baby.  A healthy weight gain is 30 to 40 pounds (at least, that's what I was told 15 years ago).  

And of course you're sleepy!  Think of all the work and changes your body is going through!  Take lots of naps now....you sure won't get a chance to when baby is born!

Bottom line--eat healthy, exercise regularly, and sleep lots!  It sounds like you're doing everything exactly right!

At 18 weeks pregnant, 10lb weight gain is not too much!  I am 22 weeks and have gained 15lbs - way better than my first pregnancy when I had already gained 20lbs at this point.  Your hungry and tired for the obvious reasons, you're working out and your growning a baby.  Don't worry about it!  My midwife told me at 17 weeks (when I was a hunger monster and couldn't stop stuffing my face) that I should aim for a caloric intake of 2000 to 2200 a day.  I thought it seemed like too much but when I started to count the cals, my body responded better.  I found that within a week or two everything went back to normal.  I still have days when I want to eat and eat and eat, but they are few and far between.  I workout 4-5 days a week and I know from my last baby, that my body will do what it needs to.  The weight will come off and you may have it easier than most - you're used to working hard during workouts.  There are lots of new moms who have to try and workout for the first time to get the baby weight off.  Don't stress!  It will be fine!  You're on the right track with workouts and healthy food choices.  Good Luck!

Kristi,

Though it was a while ago that I had my last baby, I found that I was ravenous from day one and if I kept peanuts nearby I could stave off the nausea which would hit me when I was hungry. Most of the time ( I am mom of 7)I would gain 27-28 pounds which I could usually take off with in a month or two. Baby weight 6-8# Placenta weight 8-10# leaves an allowance of about 10# of weight that is a little retained water and some of the fat your body holds onto to act as reserves for your baby. I would take a guess that if you are "overeating on fruit" that the sugar is a real draw for you. MAKE SURE you get your folic acid from veggies and supplement if you need to. ANd please tell me that you are getting prenatal care. 

Since you are likely not a military dependent you would not be at the military health facility But if you went to the ACS (Army Community Services -ask your boyfriend) you may be able to become involved in a family readiness group. There is a lot of support possible there as well as programs of exercise at the post gym and association with other pregnant women. Believe me that on an Army post you would not be alone.

Girl, I have been there, done that. Both pregnancies drained the energy right out of me! I was also anemic during the second pregnancy which just added to the problem.

When I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I was underweight. I gained about 70 pounds. I lost 30 pounds right off the bat and then stopped losing. I finally got the rest of the weight off by the time my daughter was 2 1/2 (once I started visiting CC and learned how to lose weight).

I was much more knowledgeable the second time around. I still gained 40 pounds but lost 20 after giving birth. My weight loss stalled for a month or two because I wasn't eating enough while breastfeeding. At 5 months postpartum, I'm 5 pounds over my prepregnancy weight. I'm not exercising at all (other than taking the kids out to the playground, zoo, etc.) and have still managed to lose almost all of the weight.

During my most recent pregnancy, I was also hungry all the time. I tried to keep myself to 1800 calories a day but in the second trimester I gave in and started eating when I was hungry which resulted in putting on more weight than I would have liked but I gained the weight by eating fruits, veggies and lean meats (instead of fast food like I did the first time around). It made a HUGE difference.

Since you are so active, you probably will not have any trouble losing the weight. My cousin was on her college's swim team and has kept swimming post-college. She lost her baby weight in a matter of 6 weeks.

Like someone else said: you're growing a baby! Feed that little babe now and worry about the weight loss when the time comes. The way you're feeling right now is completely normal! Best of luck!

You think you're hungry now? :P I'm 33 weeks and just can't keep my hands off of things. What I did was go and get a can of tuna with like 150 calories in it, drain it, and add some egg or celery. :) It's very low fattening and makes an awesome little snack.

If you're having cravings yet, I have a recipe for fruit Angel Food Cupcakes with only 73 calories in each one. If you want, I can hand it over. I got it from someone else on this site.

Thank you all for your posts!!  Those angel food cupcakes sound awesome so please send me the recipe if you can.  :)  And yes I am getting prenatal care, my doctor is awesome and tells me I am doing great yet finally this last week I put on about 3 lbs yet I really look pregnant which I am so happy about.

My doctor told me to just start measuring my thighs and other areas because the weight gain should all be in my belly and the number on the scale should be ignored unless I am eating horrible and being lazy.  I did that and realized I am really the same everywhere but the baby is growing so that is awesome.